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Twitter parody account of Putin suspended

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Alexei Druzhinin

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, takes part in a regional meeting of pro-Kremlin United Peoples' Front in Stavropol, on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. Putin has said that the Russian air campaign in Syria will last for as long as it's necessary to support the Syrian army's offensive. During a meeting with students on a visit to Stavropol in southern Russia, he said Moscow's goal is to help Damascus defeat "terrorists." (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian social media users are voicing their outrage at Twitter's decision to suspend popular accounts parodying President Vladimir Putin and other officials.

Several Twitter accounts, such as @DarthPutinKGB which parodies Putin and @SovietSergey, which mocks Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have been unavailable since Tuesday.

The parody Putin account had attracted more than 50,000 followers before it was shut down. The link to the account said it was suspended. Lavrov's parody account along with two others mocking the Russian embassy in London and the Russian ambassador were restored and available to users after a reported suspension on Tuesday.

Social media users launched the #NoGulagForDarthPutinKGB hashtag on Twitter in protest.